Frank Reich's Vision at QB, Additions in Free Agency, Acquiring the No. 1 Pick + More
The vision of what he wants at quarterback
"I probably don't want to go into all of that. That's more of an in-house discussion and as we get with these players. But it is something that has developed over a lot of years and a lot of time, but it always has continued to be refined. Working with someone like Scott, working with Mr. Tepper, the conversations, the scouts, listening to the scouts read through all of these college quarterbacks was something that was really good for me to hear their evaluations of them. I'm still, been in it a long time as a player and a coach, but still feel like I'm learning and growing, but still feel like I can be crystal clear on what it takes to win and there's a lot of different ways to win and so those are the discussions we're having."
Why it was important to sign Miles Sanders & Hayden Hurst
"It's all about having playmakers and you just mentioned two key ways to be a playmaker. You can do it with speed down the field, you can do it with throwing the ball down the field. In our offense, we've had a lot of catch and run so we think we know how to scheme things up at times to get guys catch and run so to be good in space, to be good after contact are two big ways to get first downs."
The difference between getting to draft your quarterback in Carolina as opposed to not getting to in Indianapolis
"It's exciting and every opportunity to work with a quarterback is great, whether you're getting him in free agency or drafting him. But it is something special to draft a guy young and to have an opportunity to work with him from the ground up so yeah, I'm excited about that process."
If the roster is designed to give the quarterback success
"Yeah, I was talking to Scott and Mr. Tepper the other day and really feel like we're putting this guy in a good position with some of the pieces that we've signed. Ultimately you're looking for, it goes back to the early question, I'm not going to sit here and list everything out, but we want a leader. Everybody wants a playmaker. The general terms that you hear about a quarterback are certainly true of what we're looking for. And I feel like we're putting pieces in place that he can walk in and be ready to go."
Factoring in Bryce Young's size
"Yeah I mean we're first and foremost just looking for playmakers. You look at everything, every trait that a guy has and you weigh it. The thing is if there's ten categories that you look at for a quarterback or any player for that matter, the real question is not how to evaluate each of those categories, I mean that's part of the question. The big question is how are you going to weigh those categories. So they're all a factor, everything is a factor. But ultimately it really comes down to being a playmaker. Being a guy who can make plays all over the field and that happens in a lot of different ways."
The pressure of picking at 1 vs 9
"I wouldn't say more pressure. I just think that we're trying to pick the best quarterback for us. I heard most of what Scott said earlier. We knew at 9 it was a hard spot. It was a hard spot to be at so when you start looking at options to get up, Scott I can't tell you how great of a job he did through navigating that whole thing through the combine and beyond. He was masterful and it turned out to be what we really think is a win-win. Obviously, we had to give up a lot to get from nine to one but we had other options to get up and looked at all of those and this is really where Mr. Tepper had some really great insight in the process as we evaluated those options. His analysis of those options I thought was spot on and really pushed us to the right decision to get up to number one and to make that decision and to be in control. So is there more pressure with that? I guess so, but I don't feel it. I don't feel it like that, I just feel like we have more freedom. We can actually get the guy we want. We can take time, we're in the driver's seat. So I feel that more than pressure."
If the rookie quarterback will start right away
"I started for three games and then had a bye and then they made a move that changed the franchise history so it was the right move. Ideally, you want to play the guy when he's ready, when the team is ready. It's not just the player, it's the team. So we'll evaluate that. I have thoughts in my mind about how I would see that playing out, but I think we have to let it play out."
How important Andy Dalton will be for the rookie
"It's really important. Josh [McCown] and I, we all talk about this, Scott and Mr. Tepper, the whole crew. Just consistency and continuity in the room. Andy brings that. We brought a guy who we can say, hey this guy can support this quarterback for the next number of years, and let's have that continuity and consistency. But make no mistake about it, Andy Dalton was brought here to win football games. He's brought here to win football games because if you're going to win a championship, it shows you need a quarterback who's going to impact that, a backup quarterback who's going to impact that. Excited about that but we are excited about the fact that he played as a rookie so he has a perspective that Josh and I don't have in that regard. He's got maturity about him. Competitor. I think it's going to be a great dynamic."
What is Andy Dalton capable of
"I mean I think Andy has been a winner his whole life first and foremost. He's a leader. He's a winner. Can make plays with his feet. Can extend plays in the pocket with his feet or just by subtle movements. Can put the ball any place on the field where he needs to and good in clutch situations. I think it's just going to be a good fit. I think he's accurate. I think he's tough-minded and he's been very durable. He's all the things you're looking for in a quarterback."
You can follow us for future coverage by liking us on Facebook & following us on Twitter:
Facebook - @PanthersOnSI
Twitter - @AllPanthers_ and Schuyler Callihan at @Callihan_.
